Cancer survivor Geoff Arnold ready to help others battle

Saint Joseph’s assistant men’s basketball coach Geoff Arnold talks to players during a break in a game. Arnold, who has recently beaten prostate cancer, said if he can get one person to get checked, he’s done his job. (Saint Joseph’s University)

PHILADELPHIA ­— If the National Association of Basketball Coaches is looking for an ambassador for its Coaches vs. Cancer campaign, Saint Joseph’s assistant men’s coach Geoff Arnold would be a great candidate.

He’s a long-time member of the organization and a cancer survivor.

Best of all, the 49-year-old Arnold is willing to talk about his recent bout with prostate cancer.

“If me talking about it convinces one other person to go get checked,” Arnold said, “then I’ve done my job.”

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Over the weekend, college basketball coaches throughout the nation wore sneakers as part of the NABC’s “Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend.” It’s one of the many campaigns the organization conducts throughout to bring attention to the fight against cancer.

The Coaches vs. Cancer campaign began in 1993 and has raised more than $85 million for the American Cancer Society. For Arnold, the campaign has become personal.

“I’m a coach,” Arnold said. “I’m also a survivor so it absolutely brings new awareness for me.”

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer will affect one in six men in their lifetime and those numbers rise as a man ages.

“They say it’s the most treatable form of cancer, but you have to get to it early,” Arnold said.

Arnold is one of the lucky ones. His cancer was found early because he insisted on being tested early. Prostate cancer runs in his family. His older brother, Pete, and his uncle, Charles Arnold, both battled the disease.

Arnold has had an annual physical since he turned 40 and began being tested for prostate cancer three years later when his brother was diagnosed with the disease. Geoff found out he had cancer last July. He said the toughest thing was telling his 16-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, and his 82-year-old mother.

“My wife (Stephanie) decided not to tell our daughter until we came back from the team’s trip to Italy,” Arnold said. “I told my mother the Sunday before I had the surgery. I had my brothers (Pete and Ben) there to let her know I was going to be OK.”

He was. Arnold had the surgery Sept. 4, was back at practice in mid-October and declared cancer-free in December.

“I’ve had two (prostate-specific antigen) tests since the surgery and both came back what the doctors call undetectable,” Arnold said. “I’ve been deemed a survivor and that’s very important to me. I want people to get tested so they can beat it, too.”

Arnold was on the golf course with several friends when his world changed forever after he received a call from his doctor, which wasn’t out of the ordinary since Arnold had just had his annual physical. Arnold figured his doctor was going to tell him that his cholesterol was a little high or something of that nature. It wasn’t.

“He told me that my PSA numbers were in the danger zone and that I needed to see a urologist,” Arnold said.

Arnold was referred to Dr. Larry Cutler at Abington Hospital, who scheduled Arnold for a biopsy in early July. Arnold was on the recruiting trail when he received the results. He didn’t panic or fall apart.

“My first thought was, ‘OK, what’s the next step,” Arnold said.

There are eight forms of treatment for prostate cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Arnold decided to take the disease head on, the same way he attacked defenses during his playing career at Darby Township and Saint Joseph’s. He opted for the surgery.

“I had surgery at 2:30 in the afternoon on Sept. 4 and was on my way home by 4:30 the next day,” Arnold said.

The ride from Abington Hospital to his home in Mt. Airy gave Arnold an idea what his recovery was going to be like.

“My wife is an unbelievably cautious driver. Just going over the speed bumps out of the hospital at five miles an hour was tough,” Arnold said. “I was like, ‘Oh my.’”

Arnold slept in a recliner for several days because the bed was too uncomfortable. He walked up and down the steps of his three-story home to regain his strength. His wife and daughter would not let him do a thing.

“You’re like a baby,” Arnold said. “You have no control over your bladder. Early on, my wife and daughter used to get the biggest kick out of the fact that I was going back and forth to the bathroom. I made jokes about it. It’s the simplest thing. You get up and go to the men’s room. It’s not that simple.”

That’s where his brother Pete came in. Pete had been through what Geoff was going through and was able to guide his younger brother through the process.

“I’d call him up and ask him, ‘When do you stop peeing yourself?’” Arnold said. “He said, ‘It will slow down.’ He was great. He would tell me, ‘Well, in two days, you’ll be here and in a few more days, you’ll be there and don’t do this.’ He gave me great direction. He really helped me get through it.”

“I felt like an old man, talking to them and telling them about my experience,” Arnold said.

As he laughed and joked with his friends, Arnold encouraged them to get tested.

“Cancer is all around us,” Arnold said. “Something like one in four men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and those numbers go up as we age. I feel really fortunate and really blessed that it was caught early and that I had awareness about it. The people who helped me have been fantastic so I just want to help the next person, whether I know you or not, because there are no enemies in this fight. We’re all friends and teammates in this battle.”